Quote from: The Pharmacist on August 01, 2018, 11:16:58 PM

I pay a passing attention to the real estate market, but I've never owned property because there's not another asset class that depreciates so rapidly (except for the automobile one, which I also have no part of). You have to insure the house, pay taxes on it, make sure the pipes don't freeze, etc. Not worth it for me. But that's not to say I don't appreciate the benefits of owning property.

Still, the market does intrigue me when it moves. I was aware of people buying properties in order to flip them back in 2006-07, and I found that interesting. I've not noticed anything going on recently, but I'm sure it's happening. I would imagine the real estate market should have rebounded by now from the 2008 banking/housing crisis. All I can say is, if you're buying a home, make sure you can afford it. That's what got a lot of people in trouble 10 years ago. And I say it's much better to rent than to buy.

There are quite a few automobiles that appreciate in value (limited model high end brand models). Owning a house can be a major headache and in the USA you never really own your house. The U.S. government can take any piece of property they want. How can you ever truly own something if you are basically paying rent (property tax) to the government. So ownership in most places is just an illusion